February 22, 2018

My 4x4 Abstract Project

I'm always trying to improve. Always.

Towards that end, I've come up with a little art challenge for myself. I'm calling it "4x4 Abstracts" and I'm pretty sure the name gives you a clear idea on what the project is about: creating 4x4 abstract art pieces.

My goals:

Explore abstract art.

Explore different styles.

Take risks.

Work quickly.

Don't overthink it.

Develop my abstract eye.

Focus on composition.

Make new art.

So far I've created five pieces. They're all interesting to me for different reasons. I wonder if they'll be interesting to you?

This is about as monochromatic as I get. It was tough for me not to rely on color to spark up the composition. A good exercise and one I will probably repeat again and again.

I feel like I'm beginning to understand what Ellsworth Kelly and Barnett Newman were chasing with all those stripes.... It's a fascinating puzzle to figure out how much you can say with the simplest of shapes.

I was trying really hard not to work with any recognizable shapes and yet this piece seems to have a submarine running through the middle of it...or maybe an airplane?

Wild style change, right? I have a lot of trouble leaving white space and so I challenged myself to create a composition that allowed for empty space to exist.

Still exploring white space, but in a slightly more textured style. This piece features stamping -- the red targets are Art Foamies and the black stamps along the edge are hand carved stamps. It's a primary palette (red, yellow, blue) and yet slightly off because of the greyed tones of the colors.

I plan to continue with this project for the rest of 2018. I'm excited to see where I'll be at the end of the year!

Comments

My 4x4 Abstract Project

I'm always trying to improve. Always.

Towards that end, I've come up with a little art challenge for myself. I'm calling it "4x4 Abstracts" and I'm pretty sure the name gives you a clear idea on what the project is about: creating 4x4 abstract art pieces.

My goals:

Explore abstract art.

Explore different styles.

Take risks.

Work quickly.

Don't overthink it.

Develop my abstract eye.

Focus on composition.

Make new art.

So far I've created five pieces. They're all interesting to me for different reasons. I wonder if they'll be interesting to you?

This is about as monochromatic as I get. It was tough for me not to rely on color to spark up the composition. A good exercise and one I will probably repeat again and again.

I feel like I'm beginning to understand what Ellsworth Kelly and Barnett Newman were chasing with all those stripes.... It's a fascinating puzzle to figure out how much you can say with the simplest of shapes.

I was trying really hard not to work with any recognizable shapes and yet this piece seems to have a submarine running through the middle of it...or maybe an airplane?

Wild style change, right? I have a lot of trouble leaving white space and so I challenged myself to create a composition that allowed for empty space to exist.

Still exploring white space, but in a slightly more textured style. This piece features stamping -- the red targets are Art Foamies and the black stamps along the edge are hand carved stamps. It's a primary palette (red, yellow, blue) and yet slightly off because of the greyed tones of the colors.

I plan to continue with this project for the rest of 2018. I'm excited to see where I'll be at the end of the year!